


Remember the Footsteps, Remember the Words Said

by LonelySparrow



Category: One Direction
Genre: AU, Adorable, Cute, F/M, Fluff, It's narry and cute and schmoopy, Kid!Fic, Kids, M/M, Niall is a daddy, Niall is so cute, Niall would be a great dad, Schmoop, and sexy, because pics of niall with baby theo, dad!fic, finally got it done, for like three months, future!fic, had this in my computer, oh yeah give this a chance., right what am I talking about, so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-15
Updated: 2013-08-15
Packaged: 2017-12-23 13:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/927072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelySparrow/pseuds/LonelySparrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall is a Dad, Unrequited Narry. Schmoopy and fluffy and cute and just a little bit sad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Remember the Footsteps, Remember the Words Said

**Author's Note:**

> Please do not show this to any persons listed or involved. This is purely make believe and is a way for me to entertain my boring fantasies. I also didn't proof read this because its 2 am so any mistakes are my own.

An uncomfortable, weighted sensation fills his chest when he thinks about it. It’s been a year and seven months since he last saw them. A year and seven months. He’s positive it’s the longest they have ever been apart. The longest they’d go without seeing each other was a few weeks; maybe a month there towards the end. They were together for nine years. Nine. They never went more than a month without seeing each other.

And now it’s been a year and seven months.

 

He knows it’s his own fault. The others have tried to get together a few times over the last couple of months and he did receive texts and emails and phone calls about their group meet up but he made some excuse and claimed he couldn’t be there, tacking on an ‘I’m really sorry’ that he truly meant.

 

So many albums, awards, songs, and tours…it all runs together in his head a bit. Muddled and blurred by time, but still good and still memorable. They had a good run. Lots of laughs and smiles and a few tears, but they got tired. Their bodies had worn down after such strenuous work without a real break, good sleep, proper meals and rest. Everyone liked to point their fingers and rave at management claiming they ruined the boys. That wasn’t necessarily the case though and the people that really mattered knew that. They were so young and full of vigor and excitement. They wanted to make sure they could be as successful for as long as they could.

 

So yeah, Niall went on a bummed knee for too many years without his surgery and Zayn should have quit smoking earlier and then maybe he wouldn’t have had to sing on sore, strained vocal chords for that one tour a few summers in. They pushed themselves a little too hard sometimes; blinded by the stars in their eyes and deafened by the chorus of wailing fangirls.

 

And then they weren’t sixteen anymore. They were in their mid-twenties and tired. Louis was 28, Niall, Liam, and Zayn 26, and he himself baby-faced at 25. They were all a little down-trodden and worn out.

 

They got together as a group one day and decided that they wanted a break. They wanted to try a new chapter in their lives.

 

Management pushed to have them wait one more year. They could go out with a big bang on their tenth anniversary, but the boys insisted that they really had had enough and then Louis came down with a severe case of pneumonia and was hospitalized for a few weeks. Management gave in and decided that yes, the boys needed a break. An actual one. Not one of those breaks that consisted of four months in between tours prepping for the next and rehearsing every afternoon. So in a press conference on a cold and rainy September morning, One Direction announced that they would be taking a break indefinitely. Maybe they’d get together again and do a few reunion tours but for now, they wanted rest and the potential to pursue some other interests.

 

Harry will never forget the day of the press conference. Mostly because the world seemed to implode and there were millions of people crying in videos on Youtube and sending the boys backlash and angry tweets on their Twitter accounts. He couldn't be mad though. He understood that he and the boys had been people’s rocks and support systems for years and for them to just split kind of suddenly was heartbreaking for a lot of people. Mostly though, he’ll remember that day because of /the/ question. It silenced the whole room and made it quiet enough to drop a pin and it be heard. The kind of silence that leaves reporters cringing at the edge of their seats and waiting with bated breath.

 

“What does this mean for your friendship? Are you still going to be friends or is this the end of the road for you boys? Is this really the end of it all?”

 

Harry chuckled to himself and shook his head at the time, “It’s been nine years and you people still think it was manufactured. Of course we’ll remain friends. I’m not sure you can even call it friends anymore. We’re family now. They’re my brothers. They’re my brothers and they’ll always be my brothers. I can’t promise that we’ll be in each other’s pockets all of the time and have BBQs together and hang out like we used to. I know that Louis would like to play footie again and the Doncaster Rovers are really pushing for him to come back. They liked that stint he did there in 2013. And Zayn, Zayn wants to travel with Perrie and go backpacking in the Swiss Alps on elephants or something.”

 

Harry paused as Zayn explained they were going backpacking at Macchu Pichu in South America and Harry had blushed and shrugged it off with a laugh, “We’re taking a break. We aren’t dying. We’re all going off in our own directions,” he pauses with more laughter filling the room, “too soon? Sorry. We’re all going to go off and do our own thing but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re brothers and we’re always going to be a family.”

 

The boys had turned to him then. They were all speechless and stunned by Harry’s eloquent answer and suddenly the five of them had risen from their seats and were pulled into one massive, final group hug on live, national television. Everyone in the room got a bit teary eyed and the boys gripped each other like lifelines.

 

It was one of the last days Harry had seen them. It was a year and seven months ago now.

 

“Mr. Styles?” Harry looks up from the table into a set of gray-blue eyes, “Can I get you anything else to drink?”

 

Harry shakes his head and stands, pulling on his coat, “No, no thank you.”

 

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a few bills, settling them on the counter between he and the barman. He tosses a half-hearted salute over his shoulder and pulls his phone from his pocket. He checks the time and quickly rushes out the door and to his car. He pulls up his hood to keep the rain off of his face and hair. He starts the engine and lets the car warm up as he fiddles with the radio out of boredom.

 

He finds an older Bruno Mars tune, and absentmindedly hums along for a moment.

 

He backs out of the parking lot and pulls onto the street, GPS already informing him which way to turn. He takes a few deep breaths in and out to calm himself while he’s stopped at a light. He was so used to being nervous that he almost forgot what butterflies felt like. He’s not really nervous to see them all again.

 

Just one of them. Just one person that he's nervous to see. It’s been so long that Harry’s buried his longing, tucking it away in the farthest corner of his heart. He can’t feel those feelings anymore. He knows that now, but they still like to creep up on him at the worst of times and send Harry into a near panic.

 

He misses him. He misses feeling that heartbeat against his chest when they’re wrapping each other in hugs. He misses calloused hands that are always cold. Cold hands, warm heart. He misses the sounds of a guitar and the rolling wheels of a bus. He longs for a sleepy brogue that’s hard to decipher. And that laugh. He can’t even begin to think about that laugh.

 

His thoughts are halted when the GPS informs him he’s on the final stretch of road before the vacation home. His drive had passed in a blur of fluffy blonde hair, bright, ridiculously blue eyes, and a smile full of metal and plastic.

 

He pulls through a security gate and down a short lane that leads to the driveway. It’s got room for at least eight vehicles and a nice garage area that’s well covered and shaded. There’s only two other vehicles in the lot, though. There’s a black Range Rover and an all-black Bentley Continental GT pulled beside each other beneath the overhang.

 

Harry stops the car and climbs out of the vehicle, shoving his hands deep in his pockets as the softly falling rain pelts his coat and the cement. He thinks for a moment that its very fitting meeting here in Spain. Judges Houses had been here and that was kind of the real start to it all. It’s been a decade and what seems like a lifetime ago. It’s only fitting that they’re holding a reunion here.

 

Liam and Danielle and Zayn and Perrie were both staying here last he heard. He was invited to stay as well, as were the others but he hadn’t decided if he would or not just yet. In the boot of the car he had a few bags packed just in case he change his mind.

 

He walks up a cement walkway lined with bright flowers in purples, reds, and yellows and climbs the steps to the covered porch. It’s a massive home. He remembers Louis’s text about it. It had like 14,000 square feet, a bunch of glass walls, a swimming pool, a massive bar area with pool tables and arcade games, a kitchen the size of a football field (he thinks that might have been Louis being a little overdramatic but he’ll check it out himself), seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a few swirling staircases, a koi pond, and a candy shop. He laughs to himself at the ridiculous home and remembers back when he was a kid and lived in a tiny flat with just his Mum and Gemma.

 

He rings the doorbell and steps back a bit to pear around some kind of large palm tree into a side garden. It’s got a fountain with some oddly shaped ferns set about it.

 

The door swings open with a quiet snick and a woman is breathing out his name as she’s wrapped him into an embrace. It’s not an easy fit, what with a giant belly in the way. Danielle’s hair was massive and had gotten in his mouth a bit but he huffs out a laugh as he pulls away.

 

“You really are glowing. People aren’t kidding when they say pregnancy gives women a glow,” Harry smiles.

 

She’s got her hair pulled into a complicated, knotted ponytail but her curls are wild as ever. She’s got dark, tanned skin and a protruding belly emphasized by a long, printed maxi dress.

 

“God, Danielle, you’re…you’re…” He’s really taking her in now and can’t help but laugh. She smiled a soft smile and chuckled out, “I’m huge. I know. You can say it. Doctor thinks I might go early. This kid is growing like a weed!”

 

“You decide on a name yet?” Harry asks as she shuffles him inside and helps to remove his coat and hang it on a nearby hook.

 

“No. Not really. Liam seems serious about naming him after one of the Batman actors,” Harry bursts out laughing, surely she’s joking?

 

“I’m not kidding! He thinks Keaton or Adam would be great names, but I don’t want to tell people we named our son after Batman!” She giggles into her hand as she takes his arm and leads him out of the massive foyer and down a well-lit hallway.

 

“Maybe you should suggest Woody then, I’m sure he’d go for that one.” Harry kids, and he’s rewarded with a loud, booming laugh. Danielle looks absolutely beautiful standing in the half-light curled back in a laugh with her large glowing belly. She’s got freckled cheeks and her eyes are all crinkled up and she looks like she really is glowing, “The fans will never let him live Toy Story down and it looks like you won’t either!”

 

The hallway opens up into a massive great room. It’s got fancy, leather couches and an almost movie-theater sized TV.

 

“Everyone,” She calls after her laughter has quieted “Harry’s here!”

 

He hears shuffling feet and excited whispers and he can’t help the grin that takes over his face. It’s nice to be missed but it also makes guilt curl in his stomach that he had been avoiding everyone. There’s a few shouts and some cheers and then before he even realizes what has happened he has an armful of Louis Tomlinson.

 

“Hazza Boo!” He snickers against Harry’s neck. He leans up and peck’s Harry on the temple, rubbing a hand through Harry’s curls. Harry rolls his eyes and swipes the slobber off his cheek before swishing his hair back into place.

 

“What’s up boo bear?” Louis tries to aim a kick at his shin but they tussle their way into another hug.

 

“It’s been too long. We’ve never been apart for this amount of time. Where have you been Harry? We’ve missed you,” Louis holds Harry out at arm’s length, taking in his thin frame. He’s still got gangly arms and legs, but his cheekbones have sharpened and he’s really grown out from the baby fat that used to cover his cheeks and filled out his stomach.

 

“It’s only been a year and a half Louis, I haven’t changed that much. I’ve been around. Just, y’know.” Harry shrugs off the answer. He doesn’t want to admit that he’s been avoiding them, but there’s something about Louis’s stare that tells Harry he probably already knows.

 

“I know Harry. You just look a little thin. Have you been eating well? Have you been staying out too late? Are you taking care of yourself?”

 

Harry rolls his eyes and cuffs Louis affectionately under the chin, “Yes, Mother Tomlinson.”

 

“Hey, no sassing the sass master!” Louis snipes out and Harry rolls his eyes and thinks of a different time when those little inside jokes would make each of the boys roll on the floor from laughter.

 

“I’m fine Lou. I make regular trips to the Tesco, some without even running into old fans!” Harry declares proudly. He doesn’t mention that they were trips at half-three in the morning and that sometimes he just used a grocery delivery service if he remembered.

 

Louis shakes his head and pulls Harry into his arms for a hug. He leans up and whispers quietly in Harry’s ear, “Are you sure you’re alright? Zayn says he saw you a few months ago and you were buying a bunch of Vodka and microwaveable meals. You sure you’re okay?”

 

Harry hides his shame by shoving his face in Louis’s hair. He doesn’t want to see Louis’s pity right now, “I’m fine, Lou. I promise.”

 

He knows he’s lying to one of his best friend’s but he can’t bring himself to tell him. He can’t bring himself to admit to Louis that he actually doesn’t eat that well. He can’t sleep. He’s even been to a doctor, but decided that getting addicted to sleeping pills probably wasn’t a good idea. He just wanders around his big empty flat and sometimes watches Geordie Shore for hours on end. He can’t admit to Louis that he’s still hung up on Niall.

 

He can’t tell Louis that the reason he can’t sleep is because every time he closes his eyes he sees dyed blonde hair and blue eyes. He can’t tell Louis that Ginger Lemon tea makes him sick because it was Niall’s favorite and he’d have it before every show. He can’t tell Louis that sometimes on really bad days, he digs in his closet and finds one of Niall’s favorite green jumpers that he knicked three tours ago and puts it on and wears about his flat like a creep. He can’t tell Louis that he’s still in love with Niall. He can’t tell anyone.

 

“Hey, what about me!? Zayn ambles in from the kitchen looking put-out. He makes a grabby motion with his hands and ends up shoving Louis out of Harry’s arms so he can curl up in them instead. He chuffs out a laugh against Zayn’s cheek, forgetting everything for just a moment.

 

Perrie and Eleanor enter not long after and demand hugs as well. They’re all tucked into a small circle when Zayn looks up at Harry, hands wrapped in Perrie’s, and says, “God, Harry. We’ve really missed you. Feels mad not to see you anymore!”

 

“I know. S’crazy. I missed you guys too,” and that’s not a lie so he pulls Zayn and Louis in for another hug.

 

They finally break apart and everyone makes their way to the kitchen area. Harry walks beside Perrie and Zayn and he finds himself grinning at the two, “How’s married life, Pez?”

 

A pretty, rosey hue taints her porcelain cheeks and she squeezes Zayn’s hand as she replies, “It’s very nice. Happiest I’ve ever been.”

 

She leans over and plants a kiss on Zayn’s cheek and as Eleanor calls out an immature, “Ew, gross” with Danielle, he chuckles. It’s good to see Zayn happy after everything they’ve been through. Zayn and Perrie stick their tongues out and Louis playfully jibes Zayn in the stomach as he passes him.

 

Liam’s behind a counter shaking something up in two glasses. He plops them down when he sees Harry and crosses the kitchen in three massive strides, “Harold!”

 

Harry can’t seem to stop smiling. It feels so good to be together again and just as he’s thinking that he should have met up with them all sooner Liam’s called out Niall’s name.

 

His stomach drops to his knees and he swallows down a lump in his throat. Louis shoots out a hand and squeezes Harry’s shoulder once before moving over by Liam to finish mixing drinks. There’s footsteps coming down the hall but he can’t look just yet. He stares at his boots and thinks about a pair just like this that he used to have. The fans hated them.

 

Bright, ocean eyes meet soft, olive green and it’s like the air has been sucked out of the room.

 

“Harry,” His name falls from Niall’s lips in a whisper and Harry can’t do this right now. His eyes are starting to water but he blinks back tears. God. He’s still beautiful, even more so. Harry drinks him in like he’s been trapped in a desert.

 

He’s still got freckles dotting his cheeks and he’s still a pasty white but he’s so ethereal. He can’t be real, this beautiful ridiculous grown man before him. He’s lost the baby fat along his jawline, making it prominent and sharp. He’s wiry and still got his chicken legs, but his chest has filled out and he’s more broad across the shoulders. The last thing Harry notices though, is that hair. It’s not blonde anymore. It’s a pretty, chocolate brown much like his own. Harry has been all across the world and witnessed lots of beautiful people and places and actions but nothing can compare to the Irish boy from Mullingar before him.

 

“Niall,” and it sounds like a choked sob coming from his lips but it is steady, like a prayer.

 

Niall’s crossed the room and plowed straight into Harry’s chest knocking him backwards a little. Harry wraps his gangly arms around the skinny boy’s back and he’s buried his nose in Niall’s hair. He smells a little different. Like grass and smoke from the grill, pressed laundry, and ink. Underneath all of that though, Niall still smells like home.

 

“Harry, Harry, Harry.” Niall shakes his head and plants a kiss to Harry’s neck. He knows it doesn’t mean anything. The boys have traded kisses like this all the time, but it doesn’t mean that Harry doesn’t wish it were more, “I’ve missed you.”

 

And Harry knows that Niall really does mean it. He can feel it in the way that Niall’s hands are fisted at Harry’s back and his angular shoulders are digging into Harry’s collarbones.

 

He looks up and sees all of these people in the kitchen staring at him and he gets the sense that they know but it doesn’t matter in that moment because it’s been almost two years since he has held Niall in an embrace.

 

Niall pulls back after another moment and looks Harry up and down much like Louis had earlier.

 

“God, Harold. You’re skinny! Need t’ eat more!” He tosses out a lazy gin and pinches Harry in the side just beneath his ribs. Harry giggles like a child and tries to dance away from him.

 

“I’ve been working out a lot. Makes it hard to keep weight on.” It’s not a lie. He couldn’t ever really lie to Niall. Well, excluding one very fat thing that is so large and big it could destroy everything and happens to be a word that stars with an L.

 

He has been boxing and that probably does keep his weight off but he supposes he could do better than Chinese takeout and frozen pizzas every few days.

 

“Have you grown as well, or are you still shrinking?” Niall raises his quirky eyebrows and Harry can hardly reign in his smirk.

 

“I think you’re just shrinking, you Leprechaun!” Harry pinches Niall’s cheek. The people around them have dispersed a little, letting them have their privacy by going over and cutting veggies with Liam and Louis or searching through the fridge.

 

“What’s new?” Niall asks as he folds his arms across his chest. He’s wearing some kind of navy jumper with a pocket on the left breast and he’s wearing nice blue jeans and some old vans. He looks really cute and sexy and Harry needs to stop thinking about his best friend like this.

 

“Nothing much, Nialler. Same old same. Living in London,” he supplies.

 

“Thought ya would have moved t’ LA by now, you used t’ love that place!” Niall wears an easy grin.

 

“Yeah. I tried. Rented a house for three weeks but it just didn’t feel right. Maybe in a few years. London’s always been my home, y’know.” What Harry wanted to tell Niall was that he had always been his home and moving to America put too much distance between the two, even if Niall wasn’t his and he wasn’t Niall’s. LA felt infinitely more lonely than London ever did.

 

“S’pose so. You got ya a bird yet? Thought I saw ya in the papers a few months back with a Brazilian model. ‘Fraid I’ve forgotten her name though. Thought I’d ask you in person though, can’t trust those damned papers for nothing.” Niall asks, face openly curious.

 

“No, no bird for me. I did have dinner with Alianna, but I just think we’d be better as friends. She’s just not the one I’m looking for,” Harry sighed, trying not to stare into Niall’s eyes for too long.

 

“S’alright, mate. Before you know it, the perfect bird will pop up and you’ll be married and have ten kids.” Harry almost chokes at Niall’s response but recovers with a short laugh.

 

“Yeah, someday. Speaking of, where is she?” Harry asks and he feels his stomach turn over in excitement.

 

“Round back. Should be in any minute. Watchin’ the steaks for me so I could come see ya.” Niall’s smile brightens at the mention, and Harry tries to force the ache in his chest away.

 

“Doing good I take it then? You still own Derby County?” Harry asks and Niall seems to glow in a white hot light before him, braceless smile gleaming.

 

“Yes!” Niall nearly shouts, “It’s amazing Haz! Used to watch ‘em with me Da’ and now I own the team and it is absolutely incredible. Never woulda thought this’d happen to us!” Niall beams, making wild gestures with his hands as he talks.

 

Harry can recall when Niall first bought the team. He’d offered the previous owner an offer he couldn’t refuse, and it’s not like Niall had to worry about money anyway. All the boys were sitting very, very comfortably and it’s something Niall had always dreamed of. Harry was ecstatic for Niall. Singing might be Niall’s love, but if he didn’t have that he’d take football over anything else.

 

“Heard you even coached a few months after we split. How’d it go?” They’re leaning against the countertop now, shoulder to shoulder.

 

“Yeah, but it was hard with the little one. Decided to lay low for a while.” Harry had never seen Niall smile so big and it kind of hurt.

 

“Speaking of,” A soft, lilting voice calls from across the kitchen and a small, squealing ball of blonde fluff is leaping across the kitchen and falling into Harry’s legs. The little girl is attempting to climb his jeans, but he finally picks her up and cuddles her into his chest.

 

“Hello, pretty princess.” Harry smiles, hugging the tiny girl to his chest.

 

“HARRY!” She squeals so loud his eardrums shutter but he doesn’t mind a bit. He looks down at the little girl. She looks just like her father did at eighteen or nineteen. She’s got his same dimple in her left cheek when she smiles big, the same pale complexion and rosy cheeks, and she’s got pink lips and crooked little teeth. She’s got her mom’s blonde hair and her dainty frame, but she’s got her father’s Irish accent and obnoxiously loud laugh.

 

“She’s so grown up, Niall. God, how’d this happen? Was just yesterday I was holding her in a little blanket at the hospital.”

 

“I know, Harry. Don’t remind me,” Niall’s eyes get kind of far away and whistful and with the arm not supporting the little girl he pokes Niall’s cheek. Niall rolls his eyes and makes a grabby motion for his little girl.

 

“She looks just like you,” Harry smiles genuinely. She settles in Niall’s arms for a few seconds before reaching her little chubby hands back out towards Harry. Niall laughs and lets her crawl across the air into Harry’s arms. She wraps her arms around his neck and sticks her nose right into the curls by his ear.

 

“I remember the day she was born,” Zayn pipes up from over Harry’s shoulder.

 

“Me too. Niall cried like the world was ending.” Louis chimes in.

 

“Shut up!” Niall calls out, blushing. His daughter gasps and says, “Daddy’s not supposed to say that!”

 

“Oh, sorry, Lucy. Daddy did a no-no.” The little girl holds out her hand and demands, “Give me a pound.”

 

Niall fishes around his pocket and pulls out a note, handing it to her.

 

The boys all chuckle. Harry doesn’t know where Eleanor and Danielle have disappeared to.

 

“You were so scared, Niall. I’ll never forget the look on your face when the doctor brought in this little yellow blanketed bundle. The doctor is standing there patiently with your little girl in her arms and is trying to hand her over and you keep saying ‘I can’t! I can’t! I’m scared!’” Louis laughs loudly and clutches his stomach at Liam’s words.

 

“Just you wait, Liam. You’ll be a blubbering mess,” Harry snorts. He can feel the little girl twirling a curl around her finger.

 

“Yeah, well, you all got a bit misty eyed too. Don’t you even try to lie,” Niall says, cheeks flushed a brilliant rosey hue.

 

“She was the first baby. Who would have thought that baby Nialler would be the first to get married and have a kid?” Zayn said wistfully.

 

“S’true. Took us ten minutes to calm you down enough and assure you that you wouldn’t drop her before you held her,” Louis says bumping Niall’s shoulder with his fist.

 

“Harry was standing there beside you with a hand on your shoulder and I think if it wasn’t for that, you would have fainted right on the floor.” Zayn laughs as well.

 

They weren’t all there for the birth because really that would have been a bit weird anyway, but they were all there the first time Niall held his baby girl.

 

“And as soon as they rested her in your arms you burst into tears and didn’t quit crying for like three hours straight,” Liam laughed.

 

Niall’s still blushing and shrugging, but he’s looking fondly at his little princess, “And then I brought her home a few days later and you started calling her Burrito because she liked to be swathed in blankets. I’d liked t’ kil- injured you all!”

 

They all erupt into loud laughter and even the little girl giggles and whispers the word burrito into Harry’s ear.

 

She’s three and a half now and Harry can’t believe it. Niall married at 22, and had a kid at 23. It seemed so crazy and even though that wasn’t long ago, so far away.

 

“Don’t start calling her Burrito again! Thought that was going to be her first word!” The little girl’s mother walks in then, laughing along with Eleanor, Danielle, and Perrie.

 

Harry thinks that she kind of looks like her mother, but she’s more like her dad.

 

“Mammy,” the little girl calls in greeting. The woman smiles across the way, “Hello, Lucy. Are you glad to see Uncle Harry again?”

 

The little girl nods vigorously.

 

“Oh,yes! I missed him!” To punctuate her point she squeezed his neck. Harry chuckled and squeezed her back.

 

“Why does she like Harry so much? She used to love me more!” Louis whines as he starts pulling out food from the fridge.

 

“I don’t know about that, Lou. I think she’s always like Harry best. I heard her a few weeks ago tell me on Skype that Uncle Harry was her favorite.” Zayn winked at Harry and the little girl tossed him a thumbs up.

 

Harry smiles and kisses the tiny girl’s cheek.

 

“I gots you a present!” She smiles, tugging on a curl and patting his cheek.

 

“You did? What for?” Harry asks confused.

 

“Your birthday!” She wiggles out of his arms and down to the floor, running on short legs over to her mother.

 

“Can we go get Harry’s present? Please, Mammy? Please! Pretty please!” She tugs on her mother’s hand and the woman smiles up at Harry.

 

“Of course we can, princess.” They leave the room with a wave and wander off into the maze that was this house.

 

As they exit the room the chatter picks up again and Harry busies himself by washing his hands and cutting up some carrots.

 

Louis and Zayn both used to ask him why he didn’t just tell Niall. Why didn’t he tell Niall his feelings for him? But Harry couldn’t. For many reasons. Mostly, because he knew Niall was straight. Niall wasn’t into boys. And Harry was afraid that if he said something and things had gone sour, the band’s dynamic would have been screwed up too bad to function. He couldn’t do that to them. They’d worked so hard for it and he wasn’t about to let a crush ruin everything they’d worked for.

 

And then a few short months after Harry’s discovered that he maybe kinda loves Niall, Niall had met Natalie in an Irish pub (and where else would Niall meet people?) during a tiny break between tours. Niall had gone out for drinks with the LIC crew (who were reunited in Ireland this time) and had run into the American actress at the pub. She was in Dublin filming for a movie, and the cast and crew had gone out for drinks together.

 

Niall had caught her eye several times over the course of the evening and finally worked up the courage to buy her a drink. They talked all night, and had exchanged numbers. They texted all the time after, Snapchating and Skyping as well. Harry wasn’t mad or upset, at least not terribly. He couldn’t be. Because he’d never seen Niall as happy as he was. Niall had never smiled that big or laughed so loud or moved about with so much energy. He was smitten with her, and she him.

 

She expressed early on that she wasn’t sure about this thing with Niall. She wanted it to work. She really did, but she had six film roles over the course of the year and she was concerned they’d never have time together. Niall promised her that it would work though. He told her they would fly out to see each other all of the time. And they did. Niall was exhausted half the time and nearly always jetlagged but he was so, so happy.

 

And Harry could see that she genuinely loved Niall back. She would mention him in interviews or accidentally bring him up in conversations with other people. She sent him cute tweets and was texting him whenever she had the chance at work.

 

It killed Harry. For a long time, his friendship with Niall crumbled a little. He couldn’t quite meet his eyes anymore. He was in love with him, and Niall was in love with someone else. Harry’s life might have been something off the silver screen coming from the tiny town of Cheshire to being in a world-wide known band, but it definitely wasn’t supposed to be like something out of a soap.

 

He wanted to hate Natalie in the beginning. He really, really did but he soon found that he couldn’t. She was absurdly nice, almost to a fault. She was funny and beautiful. She was charming and witty. She liked the band and she didn’t mind when she and Niall were out together and had to stop for fans. She loved Niall’s family and got along with them really well. She was truly a good person and she loved Niall and Harry couldn’t hate her for succeeding in something that he wished he could.

 

She and Niall got really close and after just four years, Niall proposed and they decided to get married. What was left of Harry’s sanity escaped him. He knew it was illogical, but Niall marrying her meant that Harry really would never have a chance. This was it. Niall was getting married and Harry would never get the chance to tell him he loved him.

 

That’s when things went pear-shaped and the band began to lose its momentum. He knows that Zayn and Louis have both told him loads of times that it wasn’t Harry’s fault. Harry always felt like it was though. For a while he couldn’t bring himself to hang out with Niall. He didn’t want to go on Narry Golf Dates or Narry Nandos trips anymore. He wanted to stay at home in his flat watching A League of Their Own and getting drunk on as much Sambucca as he could fit in his fridge.

 

Harry finally got over it, though. It took a phone call from his mum and one from Niall to get him to pull himself together. Niall called him late one night, half-drunk. He told Harry that he missed them hanging out, that they were best friends, and he couldn’t get married without Harry there. Harry finally pulled his shit together. Niall always asked him what had happened to Harry for those few months. He had no idea that Harry was in love with him, and if Harry gets it his way, Niall never will.

 

Harry made up some excuse about being worn out from the band and Niall quietly admitted that he was too. Soon the other boys had agreed and the split had occurred a few years later, bringing them full circle to here, this kitchen in a vacation home in Spain where it all began.

 

“Y’alright mate?” Liam asks, handing Harry a beer.

 

“Never been better, Li,” Harry smiles at him.

 

“We’ve really missed you. You need to come round more.” He supplied with a kind smile. Harry nodded,” I know. I’m going to try harder.”

 

“Harry!” Lucy squealed from down the hallway and soon, she was standing beside her mother, something hidden behind her back.

 

“You have t’ close yer eyes okaaayyy?” She giggles. Harry squats down and holds his hands over his eyes. He pretends to peek and the loud laugh and no she shrieks out at him have him chuckling.

 

He closes his eyes and she sets something down in front of him, “Okay! You can look now!”

 

Harry feels everyone’s curious stares over his shoulders. Before him is a picture. It’s drawn with crown and markers and has lots of glitter and smudged glue marks but it is beautiful. It’s one of those typical kid drawings. At the top it says family. She’s drawn Niall, Natalie and herself and then alongside her she has drawn the five boys. In the picture though, Harry is holding her hand, which happens to just be a stick with an oval on it but it’s cute regardless. In the top left hand corner of the page the little girl has stuck a sparkling bumble bee sticker.

 

“It’s cause your my best friend. So I drew us all together! I’m sorry we missed yer birt’day! Cause Mammy was in ‘Merica and Daddy took me to see the Statue of Libbity! It was green! Green is my favorite color! It’s daddy’s too but he always says blue because that’s everyone’s favorite color!” She chimes in. Harry reaches out for the picture and holds it close to his chest.

 

“It is the nicest drawing I’ve ever gotten, Lucy. You are a real Picasso!”

 

“Who’s Picostco?”

 

Niall laughs from where he’s squatted down beside her shoulder, “Picasso. He’s a famous artist.”

 

“Oh,” The little frown she’s wearing is adorable and matches the crease between her eyebrows as well. She shrugs her shoulders and says whatever, walking over to plant a kiss on Harry’s cheek.

 

“Do you like it?” She’s practically glowing and vibrating with energy.

 

“I love it. You’re the best Princess ever!” Harry picks her up and swings her around in his arms and blows a raspberry on her arm. She laughs so loud, shrieking and crying for her father.

 

He hands her over to Niall and he pulls her in close and kisses the top of her head. Harry looks out at the family before him. Mother, father, and daughter and smiles. The pain in his chest eases just a little. They look perfect. Like something out of a magazine or a movie. Harry knows she’ll have to grow up in a scary light with intrusive people and mean cameramen, but with her parents he knows she’ll be fine and as her Uncle he refuses to let anything happen to her as well.

 

Harry looks out around them at all of the people surrounding them and knows that yeah, they'll be just fine.


End file.
